Q: How badly do I want these Martinez Valero shoes?A: Words can't even begin to express it.

Q: Do I have any occasion in my foreseeable future to wear them or the $133.00 to buy them?A: Not a chance.

What do you do when you find a shoe that is impractically perfect in every way? And how badly do I want to be the type of woman who really does have the perfect occasion to wear such a frivolous, bejeweled pump?

Le sigh.

Though, it needs to be said that after starting my full-time design career, I finally got my first paycheck! And there's a comma in my bank account for the first time...ever!

...Or Homebaked is Best: An IKEA book that I am definitely going to have to pick up (if it's there!) on my trip this Saturday. It includes 30 recipes for homebaked items, photographed by Carl Kleinerand styled byEvelina Bratell. The ingredients are placed in a way I've never seen before, using increments in flour pyramids or tiny mounds of nutmeg, and placed in the most graphic arrangements possible. It really blows my mind, but also makes cooking (probably one of the messiest activities possible) look extremely neat and clean.

Hello, my name is Jenna and I am a coat-a-holic. I have one for every color of the spectrum...and then some. And yesterday, while coat shopping at Target with Cate (who actually needed one for her new job!) temptation got the better of me. This chic little number came home with me...because believe it or not, I didn't have a brown coat yet.

It's water-resistant, perfect for the blustery fall weather that hit Columbus, Ohio this week, and Cate even got one in black! Only $49.95 too, and compared to the last jacket I bought, it was a steal!

Friday, September 24, 2010

So I need a favor from all of you readers! My design work has been entered into a competition by my lovely instructor/agent/design guru, Paul Nini. I need your votes to move on to the next round!

Here's how to vote:

1. Click on this link.
2. Log in, using the black tab at the right of the page (right alongside the scroll bar)
3. Connect using facebook. This is much faster than creating a username, getting e-mail confirmation, etc.
4. reclick on this link. This will take you back to my project so you won't have to fish through all 200 concepts.
5. Click "Applaud" which is located underneath Paul's picture.
6. Pat yourself on the back because good karma is doubled for people who help out struggling fresh-out-of-college designers!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

I am loving the packaging for Red Brick beer, designer by 22 squared, that was featured a few days ago on Lovely Package. The typography and color palette are adorably kitschy. I think designing to highlight the fact that a product is local or homespun is a big challenge, but this packaging design makes it very clear that it's a locally brewed Southern product marketed as such. Check out Lovely Package for more photos!

I fell in love with this Camp-themed birthday bash featured over at Socially Circled. I think coming up with stylish ideas for boy's birthday parties (that girls can equally enjoy) is a huge challenge, and this party nailed it! The kids wore "Camp Four" t-shirts, munched on trail mix and ants-on-a-log, and decorated bird houses at the Arts & Crafts table. Favors included hobo sticks with magnifying glasses and bug catching nets. Genius ideas, and the theme transcended actual camp and made for a fantastically activity-packed party!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

I don't know if you guys use Stumble Upon, but it's a fantastic way to kill a few hours, so don't do it unless you have some time! Anyway, things about spiral wine cellars always come up in my stumbles, and these ones from Spiral Cellars in the UK are just so incredible, I had to share!

Besides the complete intrigue of having a real live hidden staircase "secret passageway" in your house, it oddly makes me think forward to a distant future where a new civilization will find these remnants of our lives and this very wine cellar will be the equivalent to the discovery of King Tutenkhamun's tomb...Oh how extravagant these modern day Brits are!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

I am completely obsessed with the looks from Isaac Mizrahi's 2011 Spring Ready-To-Wear show. They are flirty, and feminine, but also inspired by menswear with those fantastic collars and structured shapes. I would wear every single piece in the collection, but I've pulled some of my favorites below. Enjoy!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

I am pleased to announce a new Monday tradition here at Jenna Sais Quois; a Get Her Look post featuring some kind of movie character, actress, or person we deem note-worthy or stylish (ideally both). I am open to suggestions, so fire them at me! But to get the ball rolling, I have decided to kick this off with a character we all know and love...that blunt-bobbed, Berkin-toting, fingerless wonder: Margot Tenenbaum.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

This beautiful seaside kitchen is awe-inspiring. I love when white elements are paired with dark, rustic wood. The balance is perfectly achieved. And I am a big fan of subway tile backsplashes, but combining the larger blue tile with smaller areas of the tiny white tiles creates even more visual interest. All in all, a fantastic family-friendly kitchen!

I am completely dying over Marc by Marc Jacobs' Spring 2011 ready-to-wear collection. It is absolute perfection, and can I please say for the thousandth time that I am so happy that the retro-prep look is in right now? I just wish it would stay forever...because we already know it will stay on me forever.